


What Happens In-Between: Don't Drop the Ball

by closetranger



Category: Power Rangers Dino Charge
Genre: Baseball, Emo, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 16:02:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6383200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/closetranger/pseuds/closetranger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley sought to live out a dream through Koda when he discovered Koda's baseball skills; however, what caused Riley to become so unusually obsessed, even sacrificing the well-being of Amber Beach, to pursue that dream? Is there a connection between Riley's feelings for Chase, and his zeal for pushing Koda to win?</p><p>This story is set between "Forged Under Fire" & "Home Run Koda"</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Happens In-Between: Don't Drop the Ball

    

 

     Matt lined up Riley in his sights, squeezed the ball behind his back, before twisting and throwing the ball at him. Riley swung, but missed. Riley sighed heavily and threw the bat down.

     "C'mon Riley!" Matt yelled from across the field, "you're never going to make the team with that attitude."

     "What attitude?" The young Riley said placing his hands on his hips and looking at Matt intensely.

     "That attitude you always have," Matt said smiling, "you missed, oh no, it's the end of the world, so you're going to throw your bat down and stomp around all mad?"

     Riley furrowed his eyebrows angrily. "No!" Riley said grabbing his bat , "c'mon!" He yelled competitively.

     Matt threw the ball, same force, and Riley smacked the ball into the air.

     "Alright!" Matt exclaimed brightly.

     Riley proudly watched as the ball flew off into the distance.

    "Boys!" Riley's mom called from their house. "Dinner!" But Riley didn't move, he just kept looking up into the air.

     "Riley?" Matt said trying to catch Riley's attention -

     "Riley!" Matt's voice dissolved into Kendall's, calling out through the memory.

     Riley's eyes widened - Kendall was trying to grab his attention. He looked down and found a tray of food set before him. Then he looked over and saw Kendall tilting her head to the side and giving him a stern look. Riley grabbed the tray and awkwardly smiled at Kendall before taking the tray to a table full of teenage girls.

     "You know the guy with the skateboard that works here?" One of the girls said to another, "he's got a girl friend, look how cute!" She said directing her posse to a table where Chase was uncomfortably chatting with Kaylee. Kaylee giggled as Chase awkwardly flirted.

     Riley raised an eye brow and looked over, halfway placing the tray on the table, his attention redirected, a drink at the edge of the tray tilted over, and spilled onto one of the girls.

     "Hey!" The girl cried, standing up with some orange drink all over her shirt.

     "Oh my gosh!" Riley cried out, "I'm so sorry!"

     "Ugghhh!" The girl groaned.

     "Let me get you another drink, I'm so sorry!" Riley said as he walked off back to the kitchen. He grabbed another cup and started pouring another drink.

     "What is with you lately Riley?" Kendall said coming up behind him.

     "What do you mean Miss Morgan?" Riley said with one of his clumsy smiles.

     "You just keep... dropping the ball here lately..."-

     Riley heard those words echo in his ears.

     "This is it Riley," Matt said rubbing Riley's shoulders. Riley was finally going to be able to show a scout his skills. He had been one of the top players on his team, and hitting this home run would mean a scholarship to a school with a fantastic baseball team. This would surely be Riley's chance into the major leagues. "You got it?"

     "Yeah, I got it!" Riley said confidently with a smirk. "No problem Matt, this time next year, I'll be on my way to the big leagues."

     "Alright, just don't drop the ball little bro."-

     "Riley!" Kendall called out, snapping Riley out of the memory. Riley looked down and saw he had already filled the cup beyond capacity and was now drenching his hand in the sticky fluid. He jerked his hand back quickly, and looked up at the astonished Kendall. Riley quickly grabbed another cup, filled it, topped it, and then started to make his way out of the kitchen - looking back at the incredulous Kendall with an unpleasant smile conveying his apologies. Riley then backed into Chase who was making his way into the kitchen.

     "Hey mate!" Chase said playfully as Riley jumped, and turned around to face him. Chase placed his hands on Riley's shoulders to steady him.

     "Oh, hey Chase!"

     "We going to practice today?"

     "Uh--" Riley hesitated, looking down at Chase's hand on his arm. "Ye-yeah, yeah we're going to practice!" Riley assured Chase with another one of his uncoordinated smiles. Chase smiled back at the graceless Riley, more out of amusement than anything else. "What about you and Kaylee?"

     "We're going somewhere much later, but that doesn't mean I can't make time for one of my best mates!" Chase said with another grand, clever smile.

     Chase then walked past Riley and back into the kitchen. Riley's eyes followed him as he left, but he caught himself and quickly made his way back to the table where he had spilled the drink.

     Riley spent a few hours with Chase. Practicing, telling jokes, sometimes they would make weird faces at each other, and other times Riley would jeer Chase for his clumsy footwork (given Chase was a skateboarder). They spent a few minutes practicing a secret handshake, and gave up when they realized neither was coordinated enough to pull it off.

     "Look, after I slap your hand, we do this," Riley said showing Chase some finger gestures.

     "It's all beaut mate!" Chase said smiling cheerfully.

     "Huh?"

     Chase looked up at the puzzled Riley. "Oh," Chase said realizing he'd once again used some slang Riley couldn't understand, "Beaut... 'fun'?"

     Riley merrily nodded his head. "Alright, try it again?"

     They kept trying, and for whatever reason, he kept fumbling fingers with Riley. Riley looked into Chase's eyes as they clumsily locked fingers. The brush of those fingers against his skin. It was like a lightning bolt zipped through his chest. He felt that same burst of energy every time they touched. They both froze for a minute. Riley looked into Chase's eyes, his mouth slightly ajar. Chase looked back, his lips parted, eyes fixed. Their fingers still locked. Chase then grabbed Riley's leg, giving his knee a squeeze, as he stood up.

     "Well mate uh, I guess I'll see ya' later?" Chase said as he grabbed his helmet off the table.

     Riley looked up at Chase, mouth still agape, and then caught himself, "Yeah of course!" He said standing up and smiling widely at Chase, "maybe we can get this secret handshake thing right?"

     "Yeah bro," Chase said looking into Riley's eyes. He then gave Riley a pat on the shoulder, pressing into Riley's arm as he touched him. After letting go, he stood atop his skateboard, and pushed off. He looked back from the entrance of the base and gave Riley one more smile before leaving. He was off to see Kaylee. Riley hated losing. He should never lose, he was too smart and too skilled to lose. Whether he was losing a guy he adored to someone they both barely knew, a race to some block headed jock, a fight against a powerful monster...

     Riley didn't lose. And when he did, he came back stronger, and didn't lose again. But... what happened when Riley couldn't win? When all of his efforts were meaningless. When all he found himself doing was climbing an endless mountain? That's how Chase made him feel. Like he couldn't win. He could keep swinging the bat, but he'd never hit the ball, no matter how hard he tried. There was always someone more capable; whether it was Burt beating him in a race, Ivan beating Fury, or Kaylee... with Chase. He hated, more than anything, doubting himself. _Self doubt is illogical_ , Riley would think, _a self-imposed unreasonable impediment caused by silly, and complicated emotions_.

     Riley turned and clenched his hand, pursing his lips together.

     "Ugh," he said to himself softly as his mind drifted back into a memory.

     He stood at the home plate, bat in hand, ready. He knew this game, he deserved to win. He deserved the scholarship, and most of all... he wanted everyone to praise him. Not everyone was as smart, or as skilled as Riley. His lithe fingers gripped the handle tightly, and he focused his gaze on the pitcher's hands. The pitcher threw his first fast ball. Miss. Riley looked over at Matt, but Matt simply looked back at Riley nervously. This made Riley more uneasy. Didn't Matt believe in him?

 _Don't drop the ball Riley_ , he thought as he steadied himself, ready for the next pitch. The pitcher threw the ball... miss. Riley let out a heavy sigh, his heart was racing, what was going on? He had this, he was over thinking things. He swallowed heavily, and stood prepared for the next fast ball. For a final time the pitcher readied himself, pitched the ball... and Riley missed.

     "Yer'out!" The umpire yelled.

     Riley's stomach began to clamp itself. It felt like his brain was swimming in his head. He couldn't think, couldn't swallow. Had he really just failed? He never failed! Riley looked over at Matt, who pressed his lips together, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

     He dropped the ball. To be more accurate he failed to hit the ball.

     He walked over to Matt who threw an arm around him, and patted him on the back with the other.

     "It's okay bro, you did your best," Matt said reassuringly.

     Riley looked up, out of the memory, and saw Keeper shuffling around the base.

     "Something troubles you Riley?" Keeper said in his easy voice.

     "No," Riley dismissed quickly as he started to head out of the base.

     "Riley," Keeper said, causing Riley to stop and turn around, " Holding your problems in, doesn't make them go away, it merely causes them to change form."

     Riley nodded, and then continued walking away. He couldn't deal with Keeper's wisdom today.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Songs I listened to while writing this:
> 
> Modern Baseball "Play Ball!"
> 
> Kings of Convenience "Misread"


End file.
